🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <bjorn.myrland.90.716051993@sipaa.sintef.no> bjorn.myrland@sipaa.sintef.no (Bjorn Myrland) writes:
>I have a problem that I hope at least one of you out there could shed some 
>light on. We have a program that functions very well when run on machines 
>with all other DOSs than Microsoft's own DOS 5. It runs ok on DOS 3.3, 4 and 
>on OEM versions of DOS 5, but *not* on the original MSDOS 5.

Key issue is WHICH oem versions of DOS 5. Some OEMs license MS-DOS in 
much the same form that you, the enduser, receives it. Others receive
selected source code (IO.SYS & other hardware dependent stuff). Finally,
those who want to pay Microsoft major $$$ receive the source code to
everything.

No, these oems are not required to inform Microsoft of the changes
that they make.  Some of them are kind enough to send microsoft 
workarounds for proprietary features of their hardware/ROM BIOS;
others are kind enough to send microsoft their fixes to MS-DOS bugs.

>A call to Microsoft's MSDOS technical support did not do much good. The MS 
>guy believed that the OEM versions were all based on Microsoft's code, with 
>only minor changes. 

Most have only minor changes, particularily with the later versions. 
DOS 2 routinely have major changes; 3...well, you ever notice how
some MS-DOSes could create partitions larger than 32M? Microsoft didn't
write that.

If it's not an OEM version of DR-DOS, it originated with Microsoft.

>Furthermore, no revisions of MSDOS 5 have ever been 
>issued (i.e. no 5.01 etc). If this is the case, then my application should 
>run equally good or bad on all DOSs, which it obviously does not.
>
>There is a bug in my application, no doubt, but with some rather odd 
>properties that I partly will have to explain to the users who cannot 
>run the program even on plain vanilla machines with the original MSDOS 
>5 installed. So, could somebody help me clear up on these DOS matters a 
>little bit? For example:
>
>	- Who licences DOS code from who?
>	- Who uses IBMBIOS.COM/IBMDOS.COM and who uses IO.SYS/MSDOS.SYS ?

IBM has traditionally named their files IBMBIO.COM/IBMDOS.COM. Some
OEMs have also followed this tradition, in part because of applications
that wouldn't recognize IO.SYS/MSDOS.SYS (nice, real nice). 

>	- Are there any known functional differences between the different 
>	  DOS brands? Any of the OEMs having bug-fixed the original 
>	  MSDOS code?

None that I know of. Note the above, that OEMs do not have to report
changes to Microsoft. 


-jen
Ms Dos Enduser Support // Microsoft pays me to answer the phone, not post.
I am not named Bill, I am not very rich, and I do not speak for Microsoft.